Alonso Learns HIs Lesson

Alonso was a big fan of nature. When he wasn’t hiking in the mountains, river rafting or bird watching in the woods he would watch the Natural Geographic channel constantly. Nature in HD! Every morning he would wake up and have his coffee and watch the splendid vistas that were shown around the world - vivid colors made for a vivid start to the day.

Alonso got out his maps and began planning his next adventure. The trip would be a solo one. His wife Rita left him for another man. This happened over a year ago but Alonso was slow to heal. He was not ready for a new love in his life and made sure to never look any woman straight in the eye. His theory was if you never make direct contact people will ignore you. Alonso was hard to ignore. He was a huge muscular man and when he came into a room people paid attention, especially women!

The upcoming trip had to be a fairly short one. He was a welder and good at what he did. Welding was hard work but it paid well and his good reputation would get Alonso more work then he could handle. An idea suddenly came to him! A Louisiana swamp tour! He had always wanted to experience that area…strange and dangerous things to be seen and heard, fantastic music and down-home food - Jambalaya, Po’ Boys, Gumbo laced with Tabasco! An exotic taste treat of the senses.

The flight was booked the next day. Alonso packed his duffle bag and set off for Louisiana. On the plane Alonso had a window seat. The middle seat was occupied by a very attractive redhead, and of course he turned his head towards the window so as not to make any conversation. A pretty temptress was not on his travel menu.

At mid-flight snacks and drinks were served. Alonso had a Johnny Walker Black on ice and a token bag of wheat crackers. He did notice his seat-mate took out a small Tupperware container which was filled with little carrot sticks and a sliver of cheese - a healthy snack! The red head turned to him ”Would you care for a carrot stick? I’m sure carrots would be perfect with whiskey!” Her tone was sarcastic but playful. “Sure,” Alonso said. He took one of the delicate sticks and chomped it down.

So the two got to talking and it turned out they were both going to Louisiana! The redheads name was Rinatta. She loved to travel as well and they had so much in common with their love of travel that they decided to merge their trips together. The trip turned out fantastic. They quickly fell in interest with each other.

Many months later the two decided to move in together. Early on there were problems. Rinatta was a Vegan, she did not approve of TV, her Bassett Hound pissed all over the house, and in the evening she would sit out on the porch, talk on the phone all night and pay no attention to Alonso. Things went from bad to worse! Rinatta started writing poetry and painting abstract paintings only using the colors grey, army green, and orange. She began eating a raw food diet and would not allow any cooked food in the house. She claimed the basset hound was her muse and she would sit around the living room face- to-face with the dog discussing her next poem or painting. Rinatta did not care for cleaning so she did none. When Alonso returned home after a long day at work he would have to face a mad woman and a crusty dog.

Alonso had to do something. His serene home had been turned inside out, and his calm oasis was a wreck. Rinatta had to go! So Alonso began plotting a way to get her out of the house. On Saturday he invited the mad woman out to a local bar to meet some of his welding pals. He encouraged her to dress up and talk off the shapeless flowered caftan {one of many garish sacks!} She agreed and put on a nice pencil skirt and fitted pima cotton blouse. Welders tend to be a big strong handsome bunch so Rinatta was overwhelmed with this new attention. She could drink like a fish and flirt like a French poodle. I guess she took a liking to a swarthy guy at the bar and left with him . The next day while Alonso was at work, Rinatta packed up all her paints, paper and hideous wardrobe and of course the dog, and moved out of the house. She left a brief note for Alonso it said: I guess carrots and whiskey don’t go together after all.

Alonso cleaned that house for a week and when he was done he sat down in his chair and reflected on the last few months. From now on he would travel by car or watch the world on his flat screen TV in peace and quiet. Later that year his cable went on the blink and he had to have a service call. The technician was a very pleasant woman - smart and loved TV and travel They fell in love and are together to this day.
Alonso never had to leave his home…the woman of his dreams had arrived at his doorstep. Sometimes things just happen that way. Too much effort can result in storms.